Dennis van Aggelen
]] Dennis van Aggelen (born 18 May 1966) is a Brunanter former footballer and the current coach of Arabian FC. Van Aggelen played for this club his whole career, winning the Johan II Cup in 1997. He was noted for his ability to steal the ball from defenders. Considered one of the best strikers of his time, he holds the record for most official appearances with Arabian FC and also is the second-highest goalscorer of the club. Oddly enough, he never managed to win the Golden Flower of Total Football. He has several nicknames, most notably "Dennis the Menace" and "Angel Eyes". The first being an allusion to the American comic of the same name, the latter being a play on his surname and an allusion to the character from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Biography Early life Dennis van Aggelen was born in The Port, Koningstad. As a child, he was a fan of St. Marks Koningstad and greatly admired Jos Hemings and Daniel Patterson. However, he was not accepted at the team's youth academy and thus turned to Arabian FC. During his younger years, van Aggelen played several different positions, even as a defender. He was, however, established as a striker, due to his great finishings, often by lobbing the goalkeeper. Playing career ]] Van Aggelen signed his first contract with Arabian FC in 1987 and moved up to the senior side in 1988. He almost immediately established himself as a flamboyant striker, even though he was not always in the starting lineup. Van Aggelen turned down an offer from St. Marks Koningstad in 1989. Soon enough, Van Aggelen was seen as Hamid El-Zein's successor and the natural leader of the team. At this point, Arabian FC acquired many players, who would participate in the team's later success. During the 1989-1990 season, he was slightly injured. With the arrival of Argentine Arsenio de la Fuente, Arabian FC formed a great team. Van Aggelen was among the top goalscorers of First League from 1990 until 1994 and then again from 1996 until 1998. He did not manage to win the Golden Flower though and felt sorry for this. Nevertheless, he was a key player in the winning of the Johan II Cup in 1997 as he scored two goals in the final. In 1998, van Aggelen was offered a hefty contract to join Grijzestad Strijders, but he refused. His loyalty to the club, made him a hero in the eyes of the fans. Indeed, van Aggelen is the most nicknamed player of Arabian FC, which is a sign of the fan's love for him. Many important players left the team in 1999 and 2000. Hence, the team's performance deteriorated, but van Aggelen was still its leader. In 2000-01, his last good season, he scored ten goals in eighteen matches. He retired in 2002, ending an impressive career of 18 years. National team Van Aggelen was called up for the Brunant national football team in 1992 and was a substitute for the whole 1992 World Football Championship. He made his debut in a 4-0 loss against Finland. He was again a member of the national team which participated in the 1996 World Football Championship. He scored two goals in two matches in the group stage. All in all, van Aggelen only played seven games with the "Red Dragons" during his career, scoring three goals. Managerial career In 2004, van Aggelen accepted the position of assistant coach at Arabian FC, but he resigned in 2006. In 2007-08 he coached the youth academy of Arabian FC and for the next two seasons, he took on the senior team of FC Pieter II. Van Aggelen signed with Aurora F.C.'s U21 in 2011 and was Eugene Everett's assistant coach. He was fired in January 2013 and replaced with Andy Chappel. In 2014, he became Sint-Anders Furie's head coach, but was also fired after the 2014-15 Second League. Between 2015 and 2018, he coached Brunant Leuwens and won the 2016-17 Second League with them. However, he stepped down after the 2017-18 season. Since August 2018, he is Arabian FC's head coach. Personal life In 1989, van Aggelen married Dona Ferrer, a Barzuna private employee, and together they have a daughter. They divorced in 1994 and van Aggelen married Brechtje Frank, with whom he had two sons. Category:Arabian FC Category:Football coaches Category:Brunant national football team Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Footballers Category:Association football forwards Category:Aurora F.C. Category:FC Pieter II Category:Sint-Anders Furie Category:Brunant Leuwens